The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-02
OLD TIME WINTER SPORTS.
How and Where the Youths of Thirty
Years Ago Amused Themselves.
A Flood That Brought the Best and Longest
Sheet Of Skating Ever Known in the
History of the City.

With the present start, it looks like there will
be no dearth of winter sports in Indianapolis for
the young folks. with good ice for skating on the
canal, fine sleighing everywhere, and the tobog-
gan slide in firstclass condition. s.As Indanap-
oils increases in size,' said mddled-aced Old
Residenter. '>the winter, and for that matter,
the summer sports of the young are greatly cur
tailed. The schoo-houses have been bulls
around until the commons that were once about
them have entirely disappeared, leaving no
place for recreation and exercise but
the cramped-up schoolyard, which u
much too small for any live boy to
spread himself in. A number of sturdy winter
games have not been played about our school
houses for fifteen years at least, having been IN
terdicted Among these is shiny abouS
which the Marion county seminarians and
old high-school boys talk SO enthusiastically.
skinny" was famous cold weather game
when there snow on the ground, and
specially attractive when played upon the ice
Foot ball is seldom played about the ward
schools now, on account of disturbing the neigh
bors aud for fear Of hurting small
children. When l a boy even
the smallest bows INDUCED in football.
| the bail being hog or beef bladder blown up
| AS tight as drum. Twenty-Five years ago there
was no lack of good skating here almost any
winter The town was small, aud there was
| water everywhere. Not only were there good
sized ponds. but the canal was longer than it
| now Is. the part south OF Washington street,
now entirely obliterated, being then fine skating
| ground The canal basin at Washington street,
| running half square above that street and halt
square below, was two hundred feet IN width
| and usually froze smooth as glass. Carlise's
| rond, where the paper mill now stands Was an.
| other famous place. The water dead and
| froze easily. Pattersons mill-race also
| much freouentad. Before the course of Pogue's
| run greatly changed, there used to be
| little coasting, chiefly on a hill below Smith
street and between Meridian and Pennsylvania
streets. The boys had fairly good coasting there
| OF course it has long since been built up and
there is nothing to show even the slightest
esemblance to a hill
Snow baling was regular sport here winter
after winter. 1t was not all SPORT either When
| there were only seven wards In the town the
boys were more clannish than now, and the
feuds were many, resolving themselves some
times into pitched battles with snow balls be-
| tween the boys of two different ward schools.
| They did not always coniine themselves to snow.
| balls, frequently throwing stones and coal. and
it not infrequentiy happened that after such q
conflict there would be number wounded. In
those days. If a boy happened to get across the
boundary separating his ward from the enemy,
1t was at the risk Of getting sound thrashing.
'The boys OF twenty years ard more ago didnE
have fancy skates The straps were often OF
hogskin and would stretch amazingly, so that as
boy skated he would from time TO time have to
punch hole in the strap and buckle up tighter.
No such thing skate without straps was
then thought of. The boys would skate with the
straps so tight as to stop the circulation of the
blood in their feet which would become numb,
but they had good time anyhow. The boy who
had a pair of skates with big turn. up runners
was looked upon as highly favored by fortune
and was envied by everybody. Up to that time
no boy had ever been seen with an
overcoat on, even in the coolest wealth.
er. Such thing as boys overcoat was
not known. The boz wore roundabouts and.
with comfort round his neck, trowsers
(breeches as they called them, for boys didn't
wear pants or pantaloons' thenl tucked in his
boots, he would bid defiance to Boreas let him
blow as he would. Every boy wore boots. As
to the breaches, they were usually of jeans. and
many of the iolliest boys didn't have under
clothing at all. No boy ever knew how cold he
was until ne got up to a red-hot stove and began
to thaw out little Until twenty years ago
skating was almost exclusively boys sport, and
when a few girls began to appear on the ice it
, was looked upon by boys under sixteen. who
+ hadn't arrived at the girl age, and had no idea
how near they were to the danger, looked upon
it very disagreeabe innovation.
: 'Hitcnine on was long favorte pastime OF
the boys When there was snow on the ground
the boys would appear with their sleds, to which
were attached ropes from twelve to twenty feet
: long. When sleigh or other vehicle appeared
in sight the boys would slip the rope through
some convenient opening and ride after it in
, fine style. Boys, in this way. would hitch on to
vehicle going out any of the country roads
it didn't matter to them which-.and when they
had ridden as far as they pleased, would slip the
. string out and hitch on TO some vehicle that was
headed for the city. 1t was very mean man
! who would turn deaf to the customary in
: quiry, Please, mister, may hitch on behindF'
Probably the best and longest streak OF skat-
ing this place ever had, certainly the most con-
: venient of access, was in 1847 after the flood OF
, that year, when Fall creek broke through, and,
$ spreading over great deal of the town. froze up
r suddenly, and gave skatorial carnival Of six
Q weeks duration. But, bless me! that's forty
> years ago." at this retrospection the veteran
/ observed heaved sigh, and the interview was
g over